CHAPTER ONE PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE ACTION 



The Office of Coastal Zone Management (OCZM) of the National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has identified the Looe Key Reef as a special 

 marine area with important conservation, recreational, ecological and aesthetic 

 resources, threatened by existing and potential human use and deserving of marine 

 sanctuary designation. The goals of this proposed Looe Key Marine Sanctuary are 

 as follows (for a more detailed discussion see Chapter Two): 



° To maintain, protect and enhance the quality of the natural biological 

 aesthetic and cultural resources of the Looe Key Reef system; 



° To promote research and study of sanctuary resources; 



° To enhance public awareness of the functioning of the Looe Key coral 

 reef system and to provide a means for education and information 

 exchange. 



The Looe Key area offers an opportunity to focus management attention on 

 a small, highly used cross section of the Florida Reef tract. Looe Key manage- 

 ment will concentrate on encouraging coral reef research within the sanctury, 

 ensuring a coordinated approach to data exchange and availability, and developing 

 effective public education programs, and long-term plans for the preservation of 

 the resources. Each of these programs will contribute to increased knowledge and 

 understanding necessary to ensure wise use of our marine ecosystems. 



The accessibility of Looe Key to commercial, recreational and educational 

 users, its high productivity, and superior scenic beauty have led to frequent 

 and increasing use of the area, with resulting physical and ecological damage 

 to the reef system. Monroe County socio-economic studies indicate that both 

 permanent and tourists populations, in the area nearest Looe Key, are increasing; 

 corresponding increases in the use of Looe Key have potential for long-term 

 adverse environmental consequences. Sanctuary designation will provide the 

 long term integrated management necessary to protect and use wisely these 

 resources. 



As a part of the proposed management system certain additional regulations 

 appear necessary. Most significantly, in a recent legal opinion, the U.S. Court 

 of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, ruled that the Bureau of Land Management's jurisdic- 

 tion to regulate the taking of coral and other activities damaging to coral 

 reefs is restricted to offshore activities associated with mineral exploration 

 and development by lessees and their agents, leaving coral reefs such as Looe 

 Key unprotected from damage due to coral collecting, improper anchoring, and 

 certain potentially harmful fishing techniques. 



OCZM, therefore, proposed to designate Looe Key as a National Marine 

 Sanctuary under Title III of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act 

 of 1972. Such an action will allow for long term protection of a valuable section 

 of the Florida reef tract and comprehensive management which will include both 

 research and educational components (See Chapter Four, Environmental Consequences). 



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